Sony's Xperia Update to Android Marshmallow Delayed?

For the last few years now it seems like Google has adopted a once-a-year update policy, which started with Android 4.4 KitKat. Of course, parts of Android have been spun off and updated independently for some time now, such as core Google apps and Google Play Services. This has proven to be a double-edged sword for the world of Android smartphones, some manufacturers have seen this unbundled approach from Google as an excuse to perhaps drag their feet a little, or at least make sure their updates are 100% ready to go before releasing them. That seems to be the approach that Sony has been taking with their smartphones and tablets for some time now, but it appears that their update to Marshmallow could be delayed.

According to a list of updates from Australian network Telstra, the update to the Xperia Z4 Tablet, launched last Summer, has been delayed. Curiously enough, this is the only device from Telstra that's actually listed to be getting the update to Marshmallow from Sony, and it's also the one that's been delayed. The exact wording used by Telstra is "The update has been delayed & pending Sony to revise submission date." While this is disappointing to see, it might not be the bad news that a lot of people are expecting it to be. This report is dated January 15th, and there's no telling how long the delay is, it could be a week, two weeks or as long as a month. As the Xperia Z4 Tablet was launched close to the Xperia Z3+ and the Xperia Z5 lineup of devices, we should be seeing updates hit all of them close to each other, and if the Lollipop update is anything to go on, February or March seems to be a more realistic date for Sony.

Recently, Sony announced their plans for Mobile World Congress, held next month in Barcelona, and rumor has it new Xperia smartphones could be on their way. Whether or not anything gets announced is unclear, but we'll be there to share all the news and perhaps we'll hear more about update to Marshmallow during MWC from Soy themselves.

For years now I've had a heavy interest in technology, growing up with 8-bit computers and gaming consoles has fed into an addiction to everything that beeps. Android saved me from the boredom of iOS years ago and I love watching the platform grow. As an avid reader and writer nothing pleases me more than to write about the exciting world of Android, Google and mobile technology as a whole.